Murder at the Snack J
by transmutejun
Summary: Written primarily with Hinotori, with a pivotal plot twist by Ebony Swanne. Unexpected things can happen, when Jun plans a party at the Snack.
1. Chapter 1

_This fic is the result of an IF on Gatchamania. Unlike a regular fic, each chapter represents a change in authors/posting. Although the primary authors were myself and Hinotori (in fact the whole setup was all Hinotori's idea) there were other contributors. Clouddancer and Firebird each added their own pieces, and Ebony Swanne contributed the biggest plot twist this side of Utoland. The result may be slightly disjointed, but we all had fun putting this together. _

_ So with that in mind, grab some popcorn, turn the lights down low, and enjoy a _Murder at the Snack J

_88888 _  


Chapter 1

Ken walked into the Snack J and saw Joe and Ryu sitting at the counter, both with food and beverages in front of them. Ken sat on the barstool next to Joe and looked at Joe's food, famished.

"You can't have it." Joe refused before Ken even asked the question.

"I wasn't going to ask." Ken responded and looked at Jinpei.

"Oh, no, Aniki. Not after last time. My ears still hurt from Onechan yelling at me! No food until you pay your tab!"

"Come on, Jinpei. I promise this will be the last time." Jinpei looked at Ken skeptically while Ken gave Jinpei his best look of sincerity.

"Ok, fine. But if Onechan catches you, you're the one taking the beating this time!" Jinpei bargained.

"Deal. I can handle the Swan." Ken agreed, and ignored Joe's snort next to him. "Now how about some food?"

"So does anyone know why has Jun asked us to come here?" Ryu asked.

"No idea," Ken answered.

"I'm not sure either," Jinpei replied, returning with a burger and some fries for Ken, "but I saw a bunch of envelopes on the counter this morning."

"Envelopes?" Joe looked up alarmed. What month was this? It couldn't be time for Jun's annual Christmas dinner already!

"Were they red?" Ken asked anxiously.

"Or green?" Ryu added.

The Eagle, Condor, and Owl didn't have much time to dwell on this though, because at that moment, the Swan entered the Snack J.

"Hi guys," she greeted them with said envelopes in hand. Ken tried to hide his plate of food. "I'll bet you're wondering why I asked you to come here."

"The question did cross our minds..." Joe responded sarcastically as he tried to eye the envelopes.

"I thought we would do something a little fun." Jun began.

"More fun than cracking Galactor skulls?" Jinpei asked.

"Jinpei, be nice. And yes, more fun than destroying Galactor. I thought we could have a Murder Mystery party here at the Snack J tomorrow night!"

Four confused faces looked back at her. Jun continued, ignoring every last one of them.

"In these envelopes are your invitations, the characters, and the mystery. You can tell people which character you are, but you can't discuss anything else until the party." Jun explained as she handed out the envelopes. "Make sure you come dressed up and in character! And remember, the only person who can lie is the murderer!"

The four ninja's opened their respective envelopes and started reading.

_The Setting_

_You are cordially invited to the exclusive Grand Re-Opening celebration of Juli's Place, a popular restaurant in Utoland. A new chef has been hired at the restaurant and the proprietor, Juli Enne, would like a few of her most loyal customers to meet him before his first day. Bring your appetite, as Chef Sous has quite the reputation for his culinary arts, along with a few other things._

_The Mystery_

_The night of the celebration is a stormy one, but the food and the company make it an enjoyable occasion. Chef Sous has just gone into the kitchen to refill the salad bowl, when there is a loud clap of thunder and the lights go out. When the lights come back on a few seconds later, the Chef is laying on the floor, dead, by the kitchen door. You need to find out who had the motive to attack the chef, the weapon and who was in the kitchen when the lights went out._

_The Characters_

Juli Enne_ - young, sweet Juli has owned Juli's Place for the past 2 years. Recently she's been receiving letters that a rival restaurant wants to buy her out. Although she has passed this offer off as nothing but a nuisance, there is a definite fire under her pleasant exterior._

Dee Jonnaise_ - a waitress at the restaurant. She's worked with Juli since Juli's Place first opened and is loyal to her boss. Juli has mentioned the potential buy-out to Dee, but Dee has followed Juli's lead and does not seem to be overly concerned._

Hy Ssop_ - a quiet young man, Hy is a frequent visitor to JP's and Dee believes that he may have a crush on Juli. Hy has heard rumors that another restaurant wants to buy Juli out and isn't too pleased._

Vin Aigrette_ - is just the opposite of Hy. He is loud, obnoxious, and sarcastic. He was also Juli's business partner when the restaurant first opened. Though they parted ways soon after JP's opened, Juli and Vin have remained friends. Vin has also heard about the buy-out and has been asking both Juli and Dee about it every time he comes in._

Cal Zone_ - is a good friend of Juli's and helps her at the restaurant with everything from bussing tables to maintenance work to acting as a bouncer. Cal is a big guy with a soft heart and considers Juli one of his closest friends._

Al A. Mode_ - is a distinguished businessman in the area who likes to come to Juli's Place for the drinks and atmosphere. He is a man of money and is always looking for the next big thing."_

"Dee Jonnaise?" Jinpei yelled out when he got to the bottom of his invitation. "A girl? Onechan, how come I have to play a girl?" he complained.

"Because I'm the only girl and there are two in the story." Jun explained.

"So it had to be me? Onneecchhaaannn!" Jinpei whined.

"Ok, so we know that Jinpei is Dee Jonnaise and Jun is obviously Juli Enne. Who are the rest?" Joe asked.

"I'm Cal Zone." Ryu offered.

"Ken? What about you?" Joe queried.

"You first."

"Just say who you are." Joe saw Ken's eyes narrow at this and Commander mode setting in.

"Ok, fine," Joe conceded. Anything to avoid yet another lecture... "I'm Vin Aigrette."

"A little type-casting there, huh?" Ken scoffed.

There were only two characters left and Joe had a good idea which one was Ken's. "So who are you?" he pressed.

"Hy Ssop." Ken replied, a little embarrassed.

"Talk about type-casting..." Joe smirked.

"Hey, Onechan, there's one character left. Who's playing Al A. Mode?" Jinpei asked.

"Hakase."

"Hakase?" the other four repeated in unison.

"Yes, Hakase. I told him what I was doing and that I was one person short. I asked if he'd be interested and he said yes. Now all of you please leave - I have a lot that needs to be done before tomorrow night!"

The Eagle, the Condor, and the Owl all stood up to leave, with the latter two dropping money on the counter.

"Uh, Ken..." Jun called.

"Put it on my tab??" Ken asked as Jinpei ran out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

That night Ken dropped by Joe's trailer. The Condor wasn't surprised to see him there.

"You're stressing out over this mystery thing, aren't you, Ken?" he asked, the moment he had seen who was at the door.

"Is it that obvious?" Ken sighed. "I don't know why Jun got this crazy idea into her head. I just wish that it would go away."

"I don't think that's going to happen, Ken." Joe grinned, waving his envelope under the Eagle's nose. "She's put a lot of work into this already. Have you even read the background information she included in these things?"

"Yeah..." mumbled Ken. "That's what concerns me."

"Let me guess." Joe smirked. "You're nervous because your character has a crush on Jun's character."

"Uh..." the deep red color staining Ken's cheeks gave the Condor all of the answer he needed.

"What's the problem, Ken?" Joe asked bluntly. "You do have a crush on Jun, don't you?"

"Well..." Ken stared at the floor. "It's not something I want to talk about."

"You have to talk about it sometime." Joe pointed out. "Although frankly, I'm not sure why you're talking about it with me. Why don't you just tell Jun you like her?"

"It's complicated." Ken muttered.

"Complicated my ass. You're just wrapped up in some stupid idea of professional distance. That may work in other jobs Ken, but not for us. Face it: we _are_ each other's lives. We're together _all_ of the time. The normal Commander/Officer rules don't apply."

"That's easy for you to say." Ken grumbled. "You're not..."

"I'm not what?" Joe growled menacingly.

When Ken blanched and refused to respond, Joe answered for him.

"I'm not bloody Gatchaman, is that it?" he yelled. "I'm not in command. I'm not G1! Damn it, Ken, I thought you'd gotten off that ego trip long ago! If that's the way you want to play it..."

"No, Joe, no!" Ken protested. "I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that you're generally a more impulsive person than I am. You don't usually care about the long-term consequences of your actions, while I..."

"You obsess over all of the possible 'what-ifs' until the moment has passed you by." Joe smirked, his anger cooling.

"Look, I'm just afraid that if I have to pretend to have a crush on Jun, that..." Ken's voice trailed off.

"You're afraid that you'll go get carried away and tell her how you really feel about her." Joe finished for him.

Ken nodded sheepishly.

"I was hoping I could convince you to switch characters with me." Ken blurted out.

"You want me to play the quiet guy with a crush on Jun?" Joe was surprised.

"It's just for one night." Ken pleaded. "You can do it for me, can't you?"

"Well, I've always thought Jun was pretty hot." Joe mused. "And if I'm playing Hy then Jun's _got_ to flirt back with me." The Condor began to grin at the possibilities.

"I'm in." he said, grabbing Ken's hand and shaking it vigorously.

"Great..." Ken said, wondering if he had done the right thing.

88888

"Hey, Ryu, can I talk to you about something?" Jinpei asked the Owl that night, as they were finishing up a pizza back at the Crescent Coral Base cafeteria.

"What is it, Jinpei?" Ryu replied.

"I'm not too keen on this whole 'playing a girl' thing in Jun's mystery game." Jinpei blurted out. Why do I have to be the girl? It sucks!"

"I can see why you'd feel that way, Jinpei." Ryu commiserated.

"I was wondering if you'd like to switch characters with me." Jinpei suggested.

"What?" Ryu sputtered, bits of masticated pizza flying across the table. "You want me to play a girl?"

"Well... it might make you more sensitive. And I'll bet you could pick up lots more women if you were a sensitive guy!" Jinpei wheedled.

"I don't know..." Ryu was skeptical.

"I'll buy your meals at the Snack for a week." Jinpei offered.

"Two weeks."

"All right." Jinpei sighed. "You drive a hard bargain, Ryu." But the Swallow was smirking as he switched envelopes with the Owl.

After Jinpei had left, Ryu looked at his envelope. He really didn't want to play a girl.

On impulse, Ryu left the cafeteria and walked by Dr. Nambu's office.

A familiar-looking envelope was still in the Doctor's inbox. Quickly, Ryu switched the contents of the two envelopes. He moved away hastily when Dr. Nambu came into his office.

"What are you doing here, Ryu?" Nambu asked suspiciously.

"Uh, Sir, I was just wondering if we had to participate in Jun's murder mystery game." Ryu mumbled, looking at the ground. "I'm not too excited about the character she gave me."

"Ryu, I think this is a good opportunity for the team to work on their acting skills. This could come in very handy during undercover missions." the Doctor lectured the Owl. "We will all be attending, and doing our best to throw ourselves into our parts."

"Yes, Sir." Ryu gulped, muttering a quick goodbye and dashing out of the office, the character details for Al A Mode clutched tight in his fist.

Once he had left, Dr. Nambu opened the envelope Jun had had sent over. Almost immediately, his face blanched, but after the little lecture he had just given Ryu, he knew he would have to put his all into this.

"All right, Kozaburu." he said to himself. "You're going to be the best damn waitress you can be."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

They all awoke the next morning with mixed emotions about what was to come.

Ken was by now in more of a panic about what would happen between Joe and Jun and had not slept well at all. Of course it had not helped that when he woke Joe in the early hours to talk about it. Joe had proceeded to tease him mercilessly and had told him how he could not wait to see if he could get Jun to kiss him.

Jinpei in the meantime was wondering how he was going to manage to pay for Ryu's meals. He realised he would have to work extra shifts which meant he would not get to play that new game.

Hakase had spent the morning locked away in the office preparing for his role.

It was then that they all had knocks at the door as their costumes were delivered.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Everyone looked nervously at each other as Dr. Nambu signed for the boxes of costumes. He began to pass them out.

"Hy..." Dr. Nambu called out, and Joe leapt up quickly to grab his box. Ken had been thinking about grabbing it back, but the predatory look in the Condor's eyes made him think better of his impulsive desire. Reluctantly, he took the Vin costume Dr. Nambu held out.

Jinpei was smirking when he picked up his Cal costume, and didn't notice what was going with Ken and Joe. The Swallow's jaw did drop, however, when he saw Ryu picking up the Al costume.

"Hey, what happened to Dee?" he whispered furiously in Ryu's ear. "That was our agreement!"

"I switched with Hakase." Ryu confided, his face split by a huge grin.

"Ryu... that's a stroke of genius!" Jinpei approved of the Owl's actions. "But… wait a minute! I'm not buying your meals if _you're_ not the girl!"

"Okay." Ryu shrugged. "I'm just glad not to be wearing a dress! My Birdstyle is revealing enough!"

The Owl's grin faded somewhat when he looked inside of his box. The costume had been ordered to fit Dr. Nambu, and it was definitely a little small. Jinpei's costume, on the other hand, looked like four of him would fit in there.

Dr. Nambu looked into his box and frowned.

"I think they got the sizing wrong on these." he muttered. The Doctor resolved to call the store and have them deliver a bigger size waitress costume. He was uncomfortable enough about showing his legs in this thing, but a dress six sizes too small was another thing altogether. He left for his office to make the call.

Joe slipped out of the room, a devious expression on his face. A worried Ken followed.

"Well, here goes nothing." Ryu sighed, taking a deep breath and wondering how he would be able to wear the costume.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A surprised Jun followed Hakase out of the room.

"Ummm, Hakase?"

"Yes, Jun?"

"Hakase, I'm not sure what happened, but it seems everyone's costumes were mixed up!"

"What do you mean, Jun? It looks like the costume shop just mixed up the sizes."

"Well, Sir, for one thing, you weren't supposed to be the waitress."

"I wasn't? But that was the character written on the invitation I received." A sudden look of understanding came over Nambu's face. "Jun, I think we're having a bit of a joke being played on us."

"Hakase?"

"Leave this to me, Jun. I'll take care of it."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jun smiled to herself. Despite apparent character mixups, the Snack looked great and she was ready to begin the evening. She didn't know what Hakase had in mind, but she was determined to make this a success.

She checked out her appearance in the mirror one last time, smoothing the royal blue dress over her hips. She looked smart and sophisticated, but also more feminine than she could ever remember. She hoped that Ken would notice the way the dress accentuated her curves, and that it was his favorite color.

The door to the Snack opened, and in walked a young man wearing a sweater over a conservative button-down shirt, and khakis.

"Hi Juli!" the man greeted her. "Sure is quiet tonight."

"Well, it's early yet..." Jun turned, her eyes widening as she realized that Joe was dressed in the Hy costume. She hadn't realized that Ken...

Her heart fell. Ken couldn't even _pretend_ to have a crush on her. Was she _really_ so repulsive that he had to get out of this?

Tears began welling up in her eyes, but Joe sat down at the bar and put his hand over hers on the counter.

"What's wrong, Juli?" he asked gently. "Are you worried about that buyout offer? You know you don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

Jun looked up at Joe, and appreciated the dual meaning behind his words.

"I know that, Hy." she smiled through her tears. "But I think things will work out just fine." Joe squeezed her hand, and Jun smiled more.

"You sure do look beautiful, tonight, Juli." Joe said shyly, his eyes widening appreciatively. "Not that you're not beautiful every night..." he stammered.

"I got dressed up for the celebration of the Grand Re-opening." Jun blushed.

"I love that color on you." Joe complimented her. "Reminds me of my favorite 'superhero'." The Condor winked at the Swan.

"Oh!" Jun blushed an even deeper shade of red. Now she wasn't certain if it was 'Hy' or Joe talking. But either way, she was feeling better.

Neither Joe nor Jun noticed someone else standing in the doorway to the Snack. Ken wore jeans and a leather jacket, and had been attempting his best 'tough guy' expression when he saw Joe holding Jun's hand on the bar.

His face fell, but he resolved to deal with this, while remaining in character. He walked up to the pair and...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

...leaned against the counter.

"Hi-ya, Beautiful" he greeted Jun, then nodding at Joe with daggers in his eyes, "Hello, Joe. I mean, _Hy_."

Joe noticed the extra emphasis on the word Hy.

"Vin.." Joe nodded back in greeting, meeting Ken's stare.

"Hi, Vin." Jun greeted Ken. Was that a sense of remorse Ken heard in her voice?

"You look stunning tonight." Ken continued. Maybe being the character of Vin wouldn't be so bad after all. Ken was already feeling much bolder than usual around Jun. Of course he wouldn't dare tell anyone that his inspiration for this role was Joe.

"Yes, she does." Joe interjected icily and grabbed the Swan's hand a little tighter.

Ken's eyes narrowed. "So when does this party get started?"

"Jin - I mean, Cal, is upstairs getting changed. Al and Dee should be here anytime."

At that moment they heard a yell from upstairs, which was followed by loud footsteps running down the stairs. The door swung open.

"ONECHAN!!!" Jinpei hollered as he stood on the steps - in a French Maid outfit, complete with fishnet stockings.

"_Who_?" Jinpei sputtered out, as Jun and Joe burst out laughing. Ken tried everything he could to keep his composure, but it was a losing battle.

Finally Jun calmed herself enough to answer. "I guess this is what Hakase meant when he said he would take care of the costumes!"

"Didn't you check the boxes when they were dropped off?" Jinpei asked incredulously.

"Well, uh, no. Actually I didn't." Jun responded between giggles. "But you look so cute Jinpei! Here, come with me, I have something that will make that costume even better!"

Jinpei followed Jun upstairs, leaving Ken and Joe alone.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"I can't believe he got that far putting it on without realizing what he was wearing..." Joe snickered.

"I'm sure glad that Hakase didn't decide to take care of _our_ costumes." Ken grinned.

Suddenly, the two men looked at each other, their faces blanching as white as the Eagle's wings.

"You don't think..." Joe whispered, aghast.

Quickly, the two ninjas patted themselves down, making sure there was nothing strange coming out of their clothes. They even took a quick look in their underwear, making sure that Nambu hadn't sprinkled in any itching powder or some such. For all of his mild-mannered appearance, the Doctor was a pretty devious man, when he needed to be.

Jun walked down just in time to see the guys peering curiously down their waistbands.

"What are you two doing?" she asked, and two pairs of blue eyes snapped up to meet hers.

Ken was about to stammer a response when the door opened and Ryu walked in, wearing his costume.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" he shouted, but he could barely be heard above the peals of laughter emanating from his three teammates. For 'Al' was wearing...


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

...a Roman Gladiator outfit.

"Looks like Hakase got you too!" Ken barely got out between laughing fits.

"Whaddya mean?" Ryu asked.

"Have you even looked at what you're wearing?" Joe questioned.

"Well, uh, no not really."

"Then I suggest you take a look at yourself in the mirror in the men's room!"

Ryu started walking to the men's room door, when Jun and Jinpei returned. All three stopped dead in their tracks, looked each other up and down and howled with laughter.

"Jinpei, why are you in a French Maid outfit? And is that make-up on your face?" Ryu asked.

"I'd watch it if I were you. I wouldn't say you look exactly like a busboy!" Jinpei shot back.

At that moment, Nambu walked in, dressed like a distinguished businessman.

"Well, I see you all received your costumes." he said nonchalantly. "I hope you're satisfied with them." Ken could have sworn he saw a small grin appear on Nambu's face. Who knew the man had a sense of humor?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"You know, you really light up when you smile, Juli." Joe whispered to Jun, as everyone laughed at the expressions on Ryu and Jinpei's faces.

"Thank you... Hy..." Jun giggled. She looked askance at Joe. She wasn't certain if the Condor was acting, or if it was really Joe talking to her. She had never known Joe to be that good at acting or pretending, although she did know about his reputation with women.

What was going on with Joe? He had never been like this with her before. He had always tried to push Ken in her direction.

But Ken hadn't wanted the role of Hy...

Suddenly, Jun thought she understood. Ken had rejected her, by rejecting the role of Hy. And now that Ken had rejected her, Joe felt free to show some interest.

Could that be it?

And if that was it, how did she feel about that?

"You _really_ are a special girl." Joe whispered again, trailing his finger down Jun's cheek and twisting one of her ebony curls around it.

Jun made up her mind. She was enjoying Joe's attention, and it certainly couldn't hurt... just for tonight... to play along. After all, this _was_ pretend, right? If it didn't work out, she could always claim tomorrow that she had just been acting.

Being uptight was Ken's thing. And Jun didn't want to wait around for Ken anymore. Not when he couldn't even do such a small thing for her, such as play the role of Hy. Heck, Ken couldn't even pay his tab at the Snack! And if that wasn't a sign of disrespect...

Jun turned back to Joe, practically purring.

"You know, Hy, I've always thought you were kind of special, too."

A brilliant grin lit up Joe's face.

"Shall we talk about this further, in the kitchen?" he suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Jun giggled, letting Joe take her hand and lead her into the Snack's kitchen. She didn't notice the angry ice blue eyes following her as they left.

The kitchen door swung closed behind Joe and Jun, and the Condor brought his body as close as he could to the Swan's, without actually touching her.

"Now, where were we?" he smiled, leaning in for a kiss. He moved toward Jun...

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" Jun screamed.

"What?" Joe was startled. He had never had that effect on women... even Galactor women!

Jun stood stock still, her arm outstretched, pointing behind Joe at the dead body of the man in the chef's costume on the floor.

Joe mentally smacked his head. Of course! The murder had taken place in here! So much for romance...

The kitchen door came bursting open, Ken rushing in with a frantic expression on his face.

"What did you do to her?" he sputtered, grabbing Joe and pulling him up threateningly by the collar.

"It's not me!" Joe smirked. "Check out the scenery!"

Ken turned to gaze upon the chef's body. Jun was already kneeling down next to man, examining him.

"Ken, Joe," she said, a frightened tone in her voice, "we've got a problem."

It took both men a second to realize that she had used their _real_ names, and not their cover names.

"This was _supposed_ to be a dummy." Jun said grimly. "But it's a _real_ man."

"You mean..." Ken's mouth dropped open.

"And, there's this..." Jun added, pointing at a small red pin on the man's collar.

Joe moved in to take a closer look, recognizing the design the moment his eyes focused on it.

Galactor.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Ryu, Jinpei, and Nambu all came running into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Ryu asked as all three of the newcomers shifted their focus to the floor.

"Galactor!" Jinpei exclaimed when he saw the red pin.

"Galactor here? How? Why?"

Nambu bent down to examine the body. "No scratches or other skin penetration. I see a few marks here. Could be signs of a struggle... I'd say we're either looking at blunt trauma or poisoning."

"Poisoning? Isn't that rather sedate for Galactor?" Joe asked.

"Poisoning? In a restaurant? With all of this food around? I'll be put our of business!" Jun cried.

"Calm down Jun. We can't be sure what happened until there's been a full examination. There's always the possibility that Galactor has another new device, the likes we've never seen before" Nambu tried to reassure her.

Nambu took a final look at the body, and put his hand over a pocket on the chef's uniform. A slim black cassette fell out.

Ken walked over to Nambu, eyes wide. Jun couldn't tell if Ken was still pretending to be Vin or if he was now in Commander mode.

His eyes fixed on the cassette in Nambu's hand, Ken announced, "Looks like we have a _real_ mystery to solve, except we know the who. Now we just need to figure out the how and the why."

Nambu, Ken, Ryu, and Jinpei walked out of the kitchen and back into the restaurant to find a cassette deck that could play the tape. Jun lagged behind, and taking her lead, so did Joe.

"Jun..." he began, "we'll figure this out."

"I know we will. But it still creeps me out that Galactor was here, in my restaurant and in my kitchen." Jun could feel a lump forming in her throat. Joe could see that Jun was upset.

"Come here." he said compassionately, and put his arms around the Swan. "I'll protect you." he whispered.

Neither the Swan nor the Condor saw that Ken had come back to the kitchen and was standing in the doorway.

Hy...Vin...Ken...Commander...Now a real murder in the kitchen. The emotional conflict of the past 2 days was getting too much for Ken to take. He quickly realized that, once again, he had to put his personal emotions on the side to deal with this and his professional duty. But seeing the Swan in the Condor's arms... Knowing that Joe was the one comforting her when all Ken wanted was to be that person... He closed the door to the kitchen and went back out to the restaurant.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"A cassette!" groaned Jinpei. "Why does Galactor always use such outdated technology?"

"Same reason Osama Bin Laden does, I guess." Ryu shrugged. "They don't want anything to be traced back to them?"

"Like they're not the _only_ ones on the planet still using cassettes." Jinpei rolled his eyes as he dug through the closet.

"Wait...I think I've found it!" The Swallow pulled out a bright red and yellow plastic box emblazoned with the words 'My First Sony'.

"Is that it?" Ryu asked, surprised.

"It's the only cassette player we have, okay?" Jinpei snapped. He handed the garish piece of equipment to Dr. Nambu.

"I remember when you used to play with this, Jinpei." Nambu chuckled. "That was after Ken had handed it down to you."

"That was mine?" Ken appeared shocked.

"I guess you've always had that knack for enjoying sophisticated things." Joe smirked, his arm still around Jun.

"The important question is, will it play the tape?" Jun reminded them.

"Let's see." The Doctor placed the black cassette into the device and depressed the button to activate the playback.

_Raindrops keep falling on my head_

_But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red_

_Crying's not for me..._

The music was upbeat and happy, despite the words to the song.

"What could it mean?" Ken pulled at his hair in frustration.

"Damn Galactor tricks!" shouted Joe, slamming his hand on a nearby table.

"I think I know..." Jun mused, stopping the playback and pulling out the cassette, fiddling with it for a moment. She then replaced it back into the device and started the sound again.

"Brilliant idea, Jun!" Nambu complimented her. "It just might work!"

The sound coming out of the player now was strange and distorted, but there were clear words coming out that they hadn't heard before.

_"Agent 639, this is Berg Katse. Your orders are to infiltrate the restaurant..."_

"Jun, how did you do that?" Ken asked, amazed.

"I rigged the tape to run backwards." Jun shrugged. "It's a pretty common trick for secret messages."

"This is _way_ worse than a secret devil worship message." Joe said grimly.

"Let's listen to the rest of the tape." Ryu suggested.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_"Agent 639, this is Berg Katse. Your orders are to infiltrate the restaurant. There is to be a soiree there this evening, and Nambu will be attending. I'm sure those Kagaku Ninja Tai scum will be there too. You are to find them and kill them! This tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds..."_

"Well, that certainly didn't tell us anything we didn't already know," Joe commented wryly, just as a small "poof" was heard from the cassette deck and smoke started pouring out.

"So much for Your First Sony, Ken..." Ryu commented, but Ken was lost in thought.

"Katse _knew_ we were going to be here... He sent a goon in to attack us... That goon is now dead on the floor instead of a dummy..."

"Nice re-cap of the evening's events so far..." Joe began sarcastically.

"No, wait. Ken has a point." Nambu interjected. "If the corpse is a Galactor, then someone else must have killed him. But who would kill a goon and why?"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Ken then continued, "I wonder if he even _got_ his orders?"

"What do you mean, Aniki?" Jinpei questioned.

"Yeah, he was here was he not." Joe's voice was still sarcastic.

"Well, if he got these orders don't you think the tape would have destroyed itself when _he_ heard it?" Ken ended by giving Joe a glare.

Jun looked at the still smoldering Sony. "Good point, Ken."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Suddenly, there was a loud crash heard from the kitchen area.

Ken, Joe and Jun raised their eyes to look at each other.

"You know, we never did search the kitchen..." Joe said.

"Some detectives we are!" muttered Ken disgustedly. "Come on!"

The entire team raced into the kitchen, only to see that the dead man now had a gaping hole in his right arm. A bloody trail led to the kitchen window, which was now open. A few pots and pans lay on the floor, obviously the source of the crash they had just heard.

"Do you think he heard the tape when we played it?" Jinpei asked.

"We have to assume that he did." Ken said grimly, even as Joe dashed through the window, chasing after the fleeing suspect. Jun followed quickly behind him. Ken suppressed the urge to yell at them to stop. He knew that they wouldn't listen, and he didn't want to alert the suspect that he was being followed.

"Why is his arm all cut open like that?" Ryu's face had a slight greenish cast to it.

"I'm guessing that he had a microchip embedded in his body." Nambu replied. "The left arm is generally the location such things are placed."

"I think we need to identify this guy." Ken said. "Jinpei, Ryu, you co-ordinate with Hakase on this. I'm going to follow Joe and Jun in my car, and hopefully we can catch that guy."

"Roger!" Ryu and Jinpei replied.

88888

Joe raced after the suspect. The Condor had caught a fleeting glimpse of a man dressed in green turning a corner just as he had exited the Snack's kitchen window, and he followed at top speed. Vaguely, his mind recognized the sound of someone coming behind him, and he assumed that Ken had joined the chase.

Joe turned the corner, only to find himself in a dead end... an empty alley.

"Where did he go?" he muttered to himself, looking around.

"Right here, Sucker." the goon popped up from behind a trash can, holding a laser rifle.

"Thanks for coming out." smirked Joe, just as Jun arrived at the alleyway. The Condor moved to strike, not noticing that six more green-uniformed soldiers were emerging from a hole in the wall that had just opened up behind him.

Jun threw herself at the nearest goon, hoping to distract them so that they wouldn't fire upon Joe. Her high spiked heel made contact with the man's eye, piercing it with a squelching sound.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" the man cried out in pain, as three more soldiers began to surround the Swan. Jun whirled, her blue dress a swirl of color around her body as she turned, striking each opponent as he approached.

Meanwhile, the Condor had managed to deal an iron punch to the first goon, killing him instantly. He then whirled around, dealing death to two more Galactors before his first victim's body hit the ground.

Less than twenty seconds after Joe had entered the alley, the two Science Ninjas stood, bloodied, but no worse for wear, with seven dead goons at their feet.

"They came from here." Jun pointed out, gesturing to the still open secret door in the alley wall.

"Then let's go." Joe grinned, taking Jun's hand and going through the entranceway with her. The door closed behind them.

Less than a minute later, Ken's car pulled up at the alleyway. He got out and took a look around, quickly noting the dead bodies sprawled on the ground.

There was no sign of Joe and Jun.

Ken sighed. What had they gotten themselves into now?


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Joe and Jun paused at the interior of the door, taking a moment for their eyes to adjust to the light. Once they were focused, the two could see that the room was void of anything except the single light bulb that was illuminated above their heads. It seemed they were standing in some sort of an antechamber.

"Where are we?" Jun turned to ask Joe, but the Condor had already silently moved to the other side of the room.

Joe slid his hands across the wall, then responded, "A better question is: where does this go?" and at that moment a click could be heard as a panel slid open.

The Condor looked at the Swan.

"Let's go." he said with a mischievous grin.

88888

On the other side of the wall, Ken made a futile search of the alleyway; there was no sign of either ninja.

"Where are those two?" he asked himself. "There's no way out of here. They couldn't have just disappeared." Then, finding himself face-to-face with the exterior wall, the thought occurred to him.

A secret door! That had to be it... He quickly ran his hands over the wall. There had to be some sort of mechanism to open it. But where? What would it be?


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

As Ken was searching, Ryu and Jinpei arrived, in full Birdstyle.

"Boy, I sure am glad to get out of those fishnet stockings!!" Jinpei sighed with relief.

"And we brought yours too, Ken!" Ryu said, pulling Ken's civilian clothes out of a bag he was carrying and tossing them to the Eagle.

"But where are Joe and Jun?" the Owl asked, confused.

"It looks like they were here." Jinpei remarked, surveying the broken bodies at their feet.

"I thought I saw them go in here." Ken confirmed. "But there's no sign of them now. I think there might be a secret door in the wall."

The Eagle shrugged, turning away from the wall for a minute.

"Did you guys have any luck identifying the dead chef?" he asked as he quickly pulled on the clothes and transmuted.

"That's the funny thing." Ryu shrugged. "The guy's name was Teera Mi Sous. Just like the guy in Jun's mystery."

"What?" Ken sputtered. "That can't be right!"

"That's his real name." Jinpei nodded. "Hakase confirmed it with a DNA check. He's in the ISO database as a minor Galactor operative."

"Well, if that's true..." Something occurred to Ken. "Where did Jun get those murder mystery details, anyhow?"

"I think I know." Jinpei replied. "Last week she got a big package from a place called Kactor Enterprises. I'll bet that's it!"

"Pfffft... that's a fake name if ever I heard one." Ryu chuckled. "It's obviously a mix of Katse and Galactor. You'd think the authors of this IF could come up with something better."

"Be that as it may, if Galactor is behind the murder mystery that Jun had planned, the one that had characters that seemed made for us..."

"Do you think Galactor knows who we are?" Jinpei asked nervously.

"For the moment, we have to assume that they do." Ken replied grimly. "Now, let's see if we can't open this door."

"What about the microchip?" Ryu reminded Ken. "Or whatever it was that guy pulled out of the dead chef's arm?"

"You and Jinpei look for it while I try to find the entrance." Ken ordered. He turned back to the wall.

In mystery novels, what was always the way to open a secret passage?


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Ken continued searching the alleyway for the object that would open the secret door. He tried the bricks on the building's facade - wasn't this how most mystery novels opened secret passageways? Either that or books on a bookshelf...

"Think, Eagle, think!" Ken reprimanded himself.

"K'uso!" he yelled and out of frustration he slammed his hand down on the dumpster next to the wall. To his amazement, the secret door opened in front of him.

"Funny how the garbage leads us to the garbage, isn't it?" Ryu quipped. Jinpei let out a laugh, but quickly quieted when Ken's eyes narrowed and he gave Jinpei the Eagle Stare.

"This is no time for joking around, Jinpei," he scolded. "We need to find Joe and Jun!"

88888

Joe and Jun walked quietly but stealthily down the stairs that were behind the secret panel. Voices could be heard in the distance.

"What do you mean you don't have the microchip?" one of the voices could be heard saying. "Were you not there to back Agents 639 and 692 up?"

"Y-yes, sir," a shaky voice replied.

"Baka! I can't trust any of you! Now I have one agent dead and another on the way to his death! Where the hell is Agent 692?"

"I-I don't know, sir."

The next moment, a shot rang out and echoed throughout the staircase.

Joe and Jun turned to each other. Joe started to draw his left hand in front of his face.

"Joe, you're not in your civvies!" Jun reminded him.

"K'uso! Now what are we supposed to do?"

Jun brought her bracelet to her chin. "Ken? Ken? Can you hear me?"

But only static and silence could be heard on the other end.

Jun turned back to Joe. "I guess without the Condor and the Swan, it's up to Joe and Jun to take care of this." she said.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Well, we certainly had no problem back in the alleyway." Joe grinned.

"We make a good team." Jun smiled.

"We certainly do." Joe smirked, but the look he gave her implied that he was thinking of more than just Jun's fighting skills.

Jun blushed, suddenly realizing that her dress had fallen off of her shoulder in the altercation, and was now showing somewhat more cleavage than it had originally. Additionally, there was a vertical tear in her skirt that went all the way up to her waist. It wasn't really any more revealing than her usual pink miniskirt (heck, Joe saw her underwear in that outfit too) but somehow this view was more... illicit.

In comparison, Joe was simply dirty. He had spatters of blood and dirt across his sweater and pants, and if Jun hadn't known better, she would have suspected that he must have been injured, with the amount of gore on his person.

Despite that, his flashing eyes and cocky grin were somehow appealing, and Jun found herself smiling back.

"We can talk about that later." she winked.

Joe's heart began racing just a little bit faster. Was Jun saying what he thought she was saying?

Footsteps sounded, and it was clear that someone was coming toward the door they were next to. As much as they could, without their Birdstyles, Joe and Jun shrank back into the shadows.

88888

"Well, at least we found the microchip!" Ryu commented, as the three ninjas entered the secret passageway.

"We're lucky we found it." Jinpei grumbled. "I think if I'd had to search another pile of Galactor guts I'd have thrown up!

"Like you don't cause that much damage yourself." Ryu huffed.

"Yeah... but I don't have to touch it!" Jinpei whined.

"Will you guys shut up?" Ken snapped. "I think I see something..."

"Quite right, Gatchaman." came a sneering voice with which the three of them were only too familiar.

Berg Katse!

Without warning, the floor fell out from under the three Kagaku Ninjatai, and they began plummeting toward the ground.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Ken, Ryu, and Jinpei landed with a thud.

"Where are we?" Jinpei asked, trying to keep the alarm out of his voice. Ken jumped up just as two halves of a bubble emerged from the ground.

Katse gave his menacing laugh. "You're not going anywhere." he stated. Then the strangest thing happened - Katse broke into rhyme.

_"Sing a song of resistance,_

_A pocket full of lye;_

_5 little ninja birds_

_Preparing all to die!_

_When the demise is done_

_Katse will begin to sing;_

_Isn't that a wonderful wish_

_For me to give to our king?"_

"What the hell?" Ryu asked, startled. "Now Katse thinks he's a poet?"

"No, there's more to it than that." Ken broke in. "First it was the song on the tape. Now this rhyme. And the microchip. They're all connected..."

"How, Aniki?" Jinpei questioned, but never received his response, for at that moment the bubble cell filled with a putrid gas. Ken, Ryu, and Jinpei all lost consciousness within seconds.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Jun and Joe hid in the shadows as a bizarrely dressed Galactor Captain opened the door and ran by, followed by a dozen goons.

"Gatchaman is in the base!" the Captain shouted. "Lord Katse has him trapped in the Gas Chamber!"

Jun turned to look at Joe, noting his grim expression. He nodded to her, then moved to slip inside the closing door behind the Galactors.

Unfortunately, the loafers Joe wore weren't quite as quiet as his Birdstyle boots.

"What's that?" shouted the Captain, turning to see Joe and Jun creeping away behind them.

Immediately, the goons aimed their rifles at the pair.

"What have we here?" chuckled the Captain. "The Swan, and Gatchaman, if I'm not mistaken. I recognize those costumes. I picked them out myself for your little party..."

"But, Sir..." one of the goons said in a trembling voice, "this can't be Gatchaman! You just said he's in the Gas Chamber..."

A look of anger broke out over the Captain's face.

"You're right..." he muttered. "If Gatchaman is in the Gas Chamber, then this can't be Gatchaman. All of that surveillance, wasted!"

The Captain stamped on the floor like a spoiled child.

"Well, if you're not Gatchaman, then you're just nobodies!" he screamed in a fit of petulance. "Kill them!"

Jun didn't even have to look at Joe. She knew what he was thinking...


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Joe and Jun leapt up and both came down with forward kicks, knocking down the Captain and crushing two of the goons.

"Sir!" another goon yelled out while the Captain was sprawled out on the floor, "What if _this_ is Gatchaman and the one in the gas chamber is an impostor?"

Joe and Jun stopped and gave each other a knowing look. If Joe could pull this off, then they both might be saved from imminent death.

"Gatchaman in the gas chamber?" Joe laughed mockingly, "That's impossible since I'm right here!"

The Captain rolled his plump body over and looked directly at Joe. ""G-gatchaman!" he stammered.

"That's right - the White Shadow that moves unseen. You know who I am!" Joe responded menacingly and gave the Captain a lethal kick to the head.

Turning to Jun, he then ordered, "Let's get out of here and find the others!"

Jun nodded and followed Joe out of the room.

The two ninjas were in the hallway, walking to yet another chamber in the distance.

"This is some weird set-up" Jun commented.

"Yes, it is." Joe answered back.

"Joe, wait!" Jun called as muffled voices could be heard coming through the chamber's door. "Do you hear that?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha" That familiar maniacal laugh - Katse!

"Let's go!" Joe ordered, but Jun grabbed him by the arm to stop him.

"We can't just barge in there - we're not in Birdstyle. We don't have the same defense mechanisms and protection they give us."

"K'uso! This is annoying! When we get out of here, I'm never changing out of my civvies again - even if that damn 2 is big enough to see from space!"

Joe paused for a minute. "I don't care. If Ken, Jinpei, and Ryu are in there, then I'm going in too."

"I don't know what I would do if you got hurt - or worse." Jun responded tenderly.

Joe's gray eyes met her emerald ones. "I won't get hurt. We won't get hurt. That's a promise."

But just as Joe got these words out of his mouth, someone else's voice responded.

"Katse-sama! It's the other 2 ninjas! They're here! We have the entire Kagaku Ninjatai!"


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Ken coughed and choked. This gas wasn't going to be bearable for much longer. Frantically, he pulled out his Bird Rang and attempted to crack the glass dome surrounding them with its pointed edge. But even though he smashed it as hard as he could against the barrier, he couldn't even see a scratch.

Ryu was lying motionless on the floor and Jinpei was moaning. Ken knew they didn't have much more time.

But he didn't know what to do...

The Eagle growled in frustration, hacking as he inadvertently breathed in more of the gas than he had intended. His eyes closed as he slipped to the floor...

88888

Joe was just about to go through the door when he and Jun heard Katse's voice quite clearly.

"They've had enough now. The neural compound should be effective. Clear the gas out and let them go."

"Yes, Lord Katse!" another voice said. "But what about the other two ninjas?"

"Let's let them escape with Gatchaman." Katse smirked. "They won't suspect a thing..."

"Won't suspect what?" Jun was concerned.

"We'll alert Dr. Nambu when we get back." Joe reassured her. "He'll know what to do."

"If you say so." Jun was doubtful.

88888

Ken awoke with a terrible headache and a bad taste in his mouth. Next to him, Jinpei and Ryu were doing the same. When he sat up, he realized that the gas was gone, and the glass dome had retracted.

"Let's get out of here." he mumbled, shaking his head. The Eagle was still a little disoriented.

"Yeah..." agreed Jinpei, stumbling a little as he stood up.

"I think I see an exit." Ryu pointed with a quavering hand at a nearby doorway.

Suddenly, the door opened and Jun and Joe came rushing in.

"Gatchaman! Are you okay?" Joe said loudly, worried that Galactor might be watching. He didn't want them to be certain that he and Jun were on the Science Ninja Team.

"Who..." Ken's head cleared enough to realize what Joe was doing. Who are you?"

"A friend. Let's go." Joe replied tersely, pulling Ken to his feet while Jun did the same for Jinpei. Once the Eagle and the Swallow were standing, Joe and Jun both had to help the Owl stand up.

"There's an exit here." Jun said. "Then you can escape."

"Thanks..." mumbled Ken, as he, Jinpei and Ryu stumbled in the direction she pointed.

"They need medical attention." she said quietly to Joe. A tinge of fear was evident in her shaking voice.

"They'll get it." Joe replied grimly, as he led everyone out of the base.

88888

Back at the Crescent Coral Base, Dr Nambu pronounced Ken, Jinpei and Ryu fit for duty.

"But, Katse said that they had been subjected to a neural compound!" Jun protested. "Do you even know what it does?"

"I can't find any evidence of anything wrong with their brainwaves." the Doctor replied calmly. "I'll continue to have them come in for examinations twice a day for the next little while, in case something develops. But for now, they're perfectly fine."

"If you say so, Hakase." Jun was doubtful.

"If it makes you feel better, I am confining everyone to base." the Doctor added.

"That does... a little." Jun smiled weakly.

"Come on, Jun, you need some rest." Joe said, putting his arm around her and leading her out of Nambu's office. "The guys are resting in their quarters, and you should be too. You haven't slept in twenty four hours."

"You're right, Joe." Jun sighed. "Thanks for looking out for me."

"Anytime, Jun." Joe replied, a gentle expression in his grey-blue eyes.

Joe brought Jun back to her room.

"Remember, I'm right next door if you need anything." Joe reminded her. "When you wake up, we'll go check on Hakase's next examination of the others."

"Okay." Jun nodded.

Exhausted, Jun walked into her room, stripping off the tattered blue dress she was still wearing and tossing it into the garbage can. Then she went into the shower, standing under the steaming water as it ran at full blast, washing the dirt and blood from her hair and skin. Once she had completely refreshed herself, she slipped into her pink baby doll nightie, gratefully sinking into her bed.

"I just need some rest..." she murmured to herself, turning off the lights.

But just as she was about to close her eyes, her door opened. Jun recognized the familiar silhouette.

"Ken?" she asked, rubbing her eyelids.

A sharp, familiar sound cut through the air.

It was the sound of Ken's Bird Rang snapping open.

A bare second later, Ken's arms were wrapped around Jun, his upper body pinning her to the bed as he held the sharp edge of the Bird Rang to her throat. A murderous expression was etched on his face, and his usually peaceful eyes had the glint of insanity.

"Die!" he hissed.

"Get off of me!" Jun screamed, just as her door banged open again.

"You heard her!" growled Joe, as he came running into the room, feather shuriken in hand.

"Not so fast."

Joe turned around to see a smirking Jinpei and Ryu behind him, both pointing sonic guns at his back.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Joe! Look out!" Jun yelled just as Ryu and Jinpei triggered their guns.

Years of training instinctively made Joe roll to the side, but he still got caught on the edge of his shoulder.

"JOE!" Jun screamed in terror as she kicked Ken in the groin. As he recoiled, Jun jumped out of the bed and ran over to Joe.

"I'm ok." he growled as he brushed Jun off and quickly got back to his feet. Though his eyes were fixated on Jinpei and Ryu, he caught the worried look on Jun's face in his periphery. "It's just a flesh wound." he added to ease her concern.

Ryu and Jinpei advanced to attack Joe, but Joe counter-attacked them with a flurry of locks and controlled strikes.

"Sorry, guys" he apologized as he knocked them both out in a single counter-strike.

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Joe then turned his focus to Ken.

"So, Commander" Joe snarled, "Is this what it comes to?"

Jun had the distinct feeling that Joe was referring to more than Ken's attack on her.

"Die, Condor!" Ken spat, as he tightened his grip on his Birdrang. Joe slowly moved his hand down to his pocket and stealthily pulled out more feather shuriken.

"Is that really what you want, Commander?" Joe threatened.

"Absolutely."

"Ok, then die, Eagle!"

Joe made to throw the feather shuriken just as Ken was winding up to throw the Bird Rang.

"NO!" Jun yelled out. She threw her yo-yo at Ken's hand and she dove to knock the shuriken out of Joe's.

Jun and Joe tumbled to the floor. Jun rolled over and pushed herself up, kneeling next to Joe. "Are you ok?" she asked cautiously.

Then she noticed the pool of blood by his shoulder added anxiously, "Joe, your shoulder!"

"It's ok, Jun, really. Hurts like hell, but I'll live." Joe sat up and put his hand over his wound. "What about Ken?" he asked when he saw the Eagle sprawled out on the ground.

"Ken!" Jun exclaimed as she went to his side.

"Looks like your yo-yo missed and got our boy in the head instead." Joe observed, then added wryly, "Nice shot."

After checking Ken, Jun announced "He's just knocked out, like Jinpei and Ryu."

"We better call Hakase before they all wake up." Joe commented as he lifted his wrist to his chin.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Joe reported to Dr. Nambu on his bracelet, but even as he was speaking with the Doctor, his eyes were on Jun. Her baby doll nightie was even shorter than her miniskirt (until now, Joe hadn't thought that was possible) and the sheer material didn't do much to hide Jun's top either. Even after his brief conversation with Nambu, Joe couldn't tear his eyes away.

Jun eventually noticed Joe's scrutiny and blushed, turning a deeper shade of pink than her nightie. She moved to hide herself with her arms.

"Don't..." whispered Joe, reaching out to Jun, but stopping a bare inch from touching her. "I... I want to..."

Jun didn't know what to make of Joe's words.

"What do you want, Joe?" she asked hesitantly. She realized that Joe was attired in nothing more than a pair of tight blue boxer briefs, and for a moment she found her mouth going dry at the sight of his muscled chest. Offhandedly, she wondered where he had stored those feather shuriken he had pulled out. She realized that just as she had a place for her yo-yo in her nightie, so inside his shorts he must have...

Her heart beat faster as she started thinking about what was in Joe's shorts.

"Jun..." Joe reached out again, this time grazing his knuckles along Jun's cheek, his blood racing as she moved slightly to rub her soft skin against his hand.

"Joe..." It was barely a whisper, but to Joe it was like a thunderclap.

He moved closer, leaning toward her. Jun's chest was rising and falling rapidly, and Joe could see her pulse fluttering in the hollow of her beck. She moved forward as well, slowly, until their mouths were less than an inch apart...

"What happened here?" Dr. Nambu's voice startled the pair, causing Jun to jump sky high and scramble back into her bed, clutching a blanket to her chest.

The Doctor surveyed the scene. The Condor was in his underwear, and the Swan was wearing some kind of negligee. Joe was bleeding profusely from his shoulder. The Eagle, The Swallow and the Owl appeared to be knocked out cold, and they were all wearing hospital gowns, as well as large lumps on their heads. The one on the Eagle's forehead had the suspicious signature of an electrical burn typical of a Yo-Yo Strike.

"I think you both have some explaining to do." Nambu said angrily.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"It's my fault, Hakase" Jun quickly confessed, thinking that Nambu was referring to the scene he walked in on between her and Joe.

Thinking the same thing, Joe quickly contradicted her, "No, it's my fault."

"It's obviously someone's fault, but neither of you are telling me anything! Now will one of you tell me why Joe is bleeding, why Ken's Bird Rang is on the other side of the room, why I'm stepping in a pile of shuriken feathers and, in case neither of you have noticed, why are Jinpei, Ryu, and Ken all unconscious on the floor?" Nambu's voice had risen with such intensity that he was now to the point of yelling, "What happened here?"

"Well, Hakase", Jun started quietly and nervously, "I was just getting into bed when Ken came in the door. Except it didn't seem that it was really Ken."

Hakase raised an eyebrow, "What are you trying to say, Jun?"

"Well, it was Ken, but he had this crazy look in his eye. Hakase, he attacked me and tried to kill me!"

"What??"

"It's true, Hakase" Joe broke in. "I heard Jun's scream and ran in here. Ken was on her with his Bird Rang to her throat. Then Jinpei and Ryu came to the door and shot their sonic guns at me. That's how I got the shoulder wound."

Nambu's eyes widened, "What about the shuriken feathers? And the burn mark on Ken's forehead?" he asked dismayed.

"Ken turned and tried to attack Joe. I threw my yo-yo at him to knock the Bird Rang out of his hand and I jumped at Joe so he would drop his shuriken" Jun paused, then added embarrassed, "I guess I missed Ken's hand and hit him in the head instead".

"Joe, you were going to throw your shuriken at Ken?" Nambu questioned, his dismay turning into anger, "How could you attack your Commander like that?"

"Me??" Joe answered back, quickly on the defense. "Ken's the one who tried to kill me and Jun!"

"Yes, but it seems you're still sane, whereas Ken and the others are not!" Hakase rebuked.

Joe growled in frustration. Nambu took a second to let his own anger subside, then changed the subject, "We need to get to the medical wing. Joe, you need to get that shoulder examined and bandaged, and we need to get the others into some sort of restraint and tested before they wake up."

As Nambu waited for some orderlies to come, Jun started to walk with Joe back to his room so he could put some clothes on.

"Jun." Nambu commanded.

Jun turned to face Nambu. She understood what he meant just by the way he said her name. "Yes, Hakase?" she asked timidly.

"Joe can go to his room by himself. You stay here."

"Yes, Hakase." Jun responded defeated. Jun walked back into her room and slipped into the bathroom to put her civvies back on.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

By the time they had all arrived at the Medical Center, Dr. Nambu had composed himself back into his usual 'unflappable' persona. He quickly sent Joe off to have his shoulder looked at, while he pulled Jun aside.

"How, exactly, were Ken, Jinpei and Ryu behaving?" he asked her directly.

"Ken scared me." Jun admitted. "The look in his eyes... I think now I know how the Galactors feel when we attack them in combat."

"And Jinpei and Ryu were the same?"

"Yes." Jun nodded. "They seemed almost... gleeful... like they were enjoying attacking Joe."

"It must be that neural compound that they were subjected to." Nambu hypothesized. "But why didn't anything show up on their brain scans earlier?"

"Perhaps something will show up now." Jun suggested.

"I agree." the Doctor nodded. "In fact, they're being tested again at this moment."

Just then, a lab technician came running in.

"Dr. Nambu, I have the results of the brain scans!" he shouted, coming up and placing a manila folder into the Doctor's hands.

Nambu opened the folder and skimmed through its contents, raising an eyebrow as he did so.

"What does it say?" Jun asked, holding her breath as she waited for the Doctor's answer.

"It says..."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"Nothing," Nambu answered trying to keep the surprise out of his voice. "All tests came back negative. There is absolutely no abnormal brain activity."

"What??" the Swan and Condor cried out in shock together.

"Yes, perfectly normal. This is most unsettling." Nambu continued.

Jun suddenly had a thought. "Hakase, the neural compound was gaseous. What if it caused some sort of chemical reaction in their brains? Maybe something that wouldn't change their actual brain waves, but change the biological make-up instead?"

Nambu looked at Jun. "Jun, you may be right. Who knows what that compound was made of? Galactor may have even produced a new chemical that we have never seen before."

A cold chill ran down Jun's spine. If this _was_ a some sort of new Galactor invention, no one outside of the Syndicate would know anything about it. What if this - chemical - couldn't be eradicated from Ken, Ryu, and Jinpe's bodies? What would happen to them?

"The microchip!" Joe suddenly blurted out. "Galactor must have the chemical properties on it along with how to reverse the effects."

Nambu looked at Joe and Jun, a determined expression on his face.

"Joe, Jun, I'm giving you a mission. You're to return to that Galactor base and find the microchip. Do whatever you need to get it and bring it back here. You're teammates lives may depend on it."

"Roger!" the ninjas saluted in unison.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"The last person we know had the microchip was the goon who took it from the 'Chef's' body at the Snack." Jun thought aloud.

"I killed that guy back in the alleyway." Joe pointed out.

"But we never had a chance to search him for the microchip." Jun said. "Do you think the others did, after they arrived?"

"It's possible." Nambu said. "Let's look at the photos of the scene taken by ISO security." The Doctor pulled up a number of images on his viewscreen, scanning through them until Joe told him to stop.

"That's the guy I was chasing." Joe said. "I recognize him."

"What's that on his hand?" Jun asked.

Dr. Nambu zoomed closer, and it was clear that there was a smear of blood there. In fact, the side of the goon's uniform was covered with blood.

"Why is all of that blood there?" Joe asked. "I punched the guy in the head. Should have been pretty bloodless."

"Unless he was carrying a bloody microchip he pulled from the 'chef's' arm!" Jun smirked.

"But it looks like the microchip is not here in this photo." Nambu stated.

"Perhaps Ken, Jinpei or Ryu found it, before they entered the base." Joe suggested.

"Good idea, Joe," the Doctor replied, "but we examined their uniforms after they were admitted to the Medical Center upon their return to Crescent Coral Base. The microchip wasn't there."

"Then I guess it's back to the base." Jun sighed.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Jun and Joe transmuted into Birdstyle and made their way back to the Galactor base. The alley was just as they had left it, except that the bodies of the goons had been removed.

"So, how did you open that doorway anyhow?" Joe asked.

"I didn't, it was already open." Jun said. "I guess we'll just have to figure out the secret trigger."

"What a waste of time." Joe groaned, kicking the nearby dumpster.

The door opened.

"You're brilliant, Joe!" Jun squealed.

"That's what I keep telling everyone..." Joe grinned.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Joe and Jun retraced their steps from their last visit to the base. After going through the secret panel, they went down the stairs and continued through the hall until finally arriving at the door of the room where Ken, Ryu, and Jinpei had been held.

"Where is everyone?" Jun asked, "We haven't seen a single goon!"

"They've let their guard down. They didn't think we'd be back this fast," Joe replied, a tinge of suspicion in his voice.

"I'm not too sure about this." Jun continued uneasily, "It's almost too easy. I don't like it and I don't like being back here."

"Do you remember the promise I made to you when we were here earlier? I promised you that I wouldn't let anything hurt us."

Jun smiled shyly. Just the sound of Joe's voice at that moment made her feel safe.

"Yes, I remember," she answered softly. "And I trust you..." she trailed off as she lifted her eyes to meet Joe's. Joe gently took her hand in his.

"That's a promise I intend to keep." he whispered.

Joe and Jun stood there for a moment, gazing into each other's eyes. Then, coming back to the reality around him, Joe broke their tie.

"We need to find that microchip." he said.

"Right..." Jun replied and removed her hand from his.

The Condor and the Swan listened for any sounds beyond the closed door, but everything was silent. Carefully Joe opened the door and cautiously surveyed the room.

"It's clear." he announced after finding it empty. Jun came in behind him.

"Joe, I really don't like this. Something isn't right."

"I know. But we have to find the microchip and get it back to Hakase." Even as the words came out of his mouth, Joe knew this wasn't very reassuring, But he also knew that if he didn't concentrate on the task at hand, he would be just as on edge as Jun was.

The Condor and the Swan canvassed the perimeter of the room. After searching with no results, Jun turned her attention to the center of the room.

"Joe, look!" she called and pointed to the platform where the retractable dome sat.

As they made their way to the platform, a small glint caught Jun's eye.

"Joe! There it is! The microchip! It's on the platform! Ken, Ryu, and Jinpei must have taken it from that goon then dropped it when they were gassed."

As Jun ran to retrieve the microchip, Joe's bracelet started to beep.

"Joe, this is Nambu. I just received an urgent message from the medical wing. Ken has escaped..."

"Nani?!"

"I believe he's on his way to the base..."

Joe instantly looked up at the door.

"Too late..." he said quietly.

Ken was already at the door, in Birdstyle, the maniacal look again in his eye.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Kyle stood at the door looking at the Condor in his brother's Birdstyle. This was even more enjoyable than he had ever imagined. His thoughts momentarily went over his plans and his success so far...

The evil double of Ken smirked as he listened to the conversations through the device that he planted on each of them.

No one knew that Ken had an identical twin brother who had been kidnapped by Galactor as a new born baby...Red Impulse had never talked about Kyle because he believed that the boy had been killed his enemies. When he had discovered that Kyle was alive and worked for Galactor, he had disowned him completely.

Kyle had bugged the Snack J, and the idea of the murder party had been ideal for him to create chaos in his brother's life!

"Well...well," he chuckled, "to think that I managed to kill his idea of being in a relationship with the Swan...poor Bro! He must be broken hearted that Jun has now gone with the Condor!"

Satisfied, he had moved on with the next part of his plan to undermine his good brother totally. Jun was already forming a different opinion of the Eagle from the switch he had made with Ken.

"You bastard, you won't get away with this!" Ken had yelled at him, back in the Galactor base.

"I already have, Gatchaman! No one will know that I have switched places with you. They won't notice at all! I'm sorry to see that the woman you love no longer looks at you that way...pity." Kyle had given Ken a mock sympathetic look; it was amazing how much they looked like each other...identical.

"But, why?" Ken had asked him.

"Because our father loved you, and he hated me! Now I want Galactor to win this war! The Swan's party was the perfect opportunity to mess with your mind, and theirs..."

"Let me out of the bonds..." Ken had asked his brother slowly. "I'll see that you have a fair trial."

"Tempting brother...but NO!" Kyle had snarled. "You will suffer as I have, and when I'm done, _then_ I'll kill you...but not _before_ you see your life and reputation destroyed before your eyes. I want you to suffer a great deal."

Ken had given Kyle a disgusted look. "The Condor is no fool...nor is the Swan! You have underestimated them Kyle..."

Oh, but Ken had been wrong. They had done a brain scan on Kyle and found everything to be 'normal'. Now they would become suspicious of Gatchaman next when Kyle's plan started to unfold. And when they found out what had been done to Jinpei and Ryu… well, Kyle would be having the last laugh then!

"Now I have a meeting with the Condor to keep!" Kyle snickered as he made his way in Ken's Birdstyle to meet the Condor...


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

_At the Galactor Base…_

Joe looked up at the door.

"Too late..." he said quietly.

Kyle/Ken was already at the door, in Birdstyle, the maniacal look again in his eye.

Joe asked, while keeping an eye on Kyle/Ken, "Jun, do you think any of the data on these computers will be helpful to Nambu?"

"I don't know, Joe, I could see what I can do to dump the information into our system if you want."

"Do it, and then I want to destroy this place without bringing the buildings down on our heads."

"So, Condor, now you are trying to take my place as Commander, are you? Well, if you want it I guess I will have to do this." sneered Kyle/Ken.

Just as Kyle/Ken stepped into the room, the door slid shut behind him. Katse's voice rang out in the room.

"I see I have caught myself three little birdies again. And with your Great White Hope under my control, I think it will be easy to get the Swan and Condor under my control as well."

Jun and Joe looked from Kyle/Ken to each other and then up at Katse and his troops.

"So now what?" asked Jun.

"Well, if I thought Ken were himself, I might feel better." replied Joe.

Then they both heard a yell. Turning, the two ninjas watched Kyle/Ken jump up a level, lower his head and begin to charge towards the Galactor troops.

"Shit! What did I just say?" muttered Joe as he pulled out some shuriken and took off towards the melee.

Jun moved toward the computers and found an active keyboard. With a few commands into the system she asked the main computer to download its information into computers at the medical lab back at base. Jun then pulsed out her yo-yo bomb and set it, before jumping up to join the Condor and Eagle in the battle.

Landing next to the Condor she announced, "All set!"

Jun gave a kick to a goon approaching from the side.

Then she hears Joe mutter, "_What_ is he doing?"

Joe had been keeping an eye on Kyle/Ken and had noticed something was wrong with the Eagle's fighting style. Ken was not performing his usual flowing moves; he now seemed stiff, almost wooden, through some of his sequences.

Joe turned to Jun and asked, "How long do we have until that system blows?"

"It should be going any time now."

Just as Jun finished her sentence they watched Kyle/Ken jump into the air and then get caught by the explosion, sending him sailing back against a ceiling beam. He fell to the floor and did not rise.

"Ken!" Jun yelled before racing to his side.

Joe took a second to look around and noticed that the last of the goons had been taken out by the explosion as well. Then he too raced towards the Eagle.

"Idiot!" Joe yelled at the unconscious form, "Don't you remember me telling Jun to set the explosion? What were you trying to do; get yourself killed?"

"Joe, we have to get him back to the Medical Lab, so Nambu can help him."

As they picked the Eagle up, Joe questioned Jun. "Do you think these neurotransmitters could change Ken's fighting abilities?"

"What do you mean?"

Joe continued, "I was watching Ken while he was fighting, and some of his moves seemed odd… awkward. Some of the sequences he made did not seem like Ken. I was wondering if the neurotransmitters could change something we do so instinctually."

"I do not know that much about chemical neurotransmitters, but maybe you should ask Nambu when we get back." Jun responded.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The man in the Eagle costume groaned, and his head slid down the wall as his body slumped to the ground. As he fell, it became evident that there was a large crack in the back of his helmet.

"Ken!" Jun cried, distressed, but then she saw something that made her gasp.

"Joe..." she said, tugging on the Condor's arm, "this _isn't_ Ken's helmet. It's _not_ true ISO Birdstyle."

"What are you talking about?" Joe asked, somewhat preoccupied with figuring out an escape route.

"Look at this!" Jun insisted, pulling Joe's head to the helmet crack.

"The interior... it doesn't have the transmutation gel that's supposed to be inside. This is just filled with styrofoam..." Jun explained.

"This uniform is a fake, Joe." she stated. "A very good fake, but a fake."

"Why would Ken have a fake uniform?" Joe asked. "He's not fighting like Ken, he has a fake uniform... is that because..."

"It's because he's _not_ Gatchaman!" sneered a familiar voice.

Joe and Jun turned around, to see Berg Katse standing behind them, pointing at the manacled form of the Eagle who was dangling from the ceiling by a long chain.

It was clear that the Eagle had been badly beaten, and blood was dripping down his uniform.

"Oh, Ken..." Tears filled Jun's eyes as she saw what they had done to her Commander.

"Don't worry." Joe whispered in her ear. "I have a plan."

But they had both turned their backs on a forgotten Kyle...


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Joe turned back to the false Eagle. "Come here, you bas..."

Joe stopped mid-sentence. The imposter was gone!

"Where the hell are you, you fake!" he yelled.

Just then, Jun let out a loud gasp and Joe turned back to her. His eyes followed hers to the ceiling and grew wide when they saw Ken's seemingly lifeless body being raised back up into a panel in the ceiling.

Katse's distinct laughter filled the room. "You think it would be that easy, ninja scum? Not _all_ of my minions are as stupid as you think! My imposter fooled you and the Swan!"

Katse paused, then continued, "And now, to complete the illusion!"

A few seconds later, the ceiling plate opened again, and this time _two_ identical bound forms in white descended from it.

"So, which one is your precious Eagle?" Katse sneered. "Be careful whom you pick. The one you _don't_ choose will face imminent death. Of course, the one you _do_ choose will only face _postponed_ death - just like you!"

Katse laughed again as he turned on his heel to leave. "I leave the decision up to you." he said as he departed, leaving a squad of armed goons behind to monitor their movements.

Joe and Jun stood in the center of the room, the two unconscious forms of the Eagle dangling above them.

"Joe, which one is Ken?" Jun asked tentatively.

"I'm not sure. We need to get them down and find out." Joe responded.

As if on cue, the chains slackened and both bodies fell to the floor. The Condor and the Swan rushed to their sides.

"Ken!" Joe called as he looked over the first Eagle. "Ken is that you?"

A moan escaped from the Eagle's lips. "Ky... ky..."

Confused, the Condor asked, "What? I don't understand. Are you trying to say Katse?"

The Eagle barely shook his head to the side.

"Ky..." he repeated weakly and tried to lift his hand to point, only for it to go limp and lose consciousness again.

"Kai? Who the hell is Kai?" Joe asked irritated. "K'uso! Jun, are you having any luck over there?"

Jun was next to the second Eagle's body. "Ken! Ken! Can you hear me?"

"Jun..." came a faint whisper from his lips. "Jun... help... me..."

Then the second Eagle slipped into the unconscious as well.

"This is no use!" Jun cried. "We need to get _both_ of them out of here!"

"I know..." Joe responded as he glanced at the army above their heads. The quiet click of a few of the guns could be heard.

"Damn these goons!" he said under his breath.

"Jun, come here." Joe called.

Under the watchful eyes of the minions, Jun made her way to the other side of the Eagles' bodies.

"We don't have much time. Either someone's going to get trigger-happy, or Katse's going to have enough of this game and kill us all" Joe stated.

"I know..." Jun responded, "but what should we do?"

"I have a plan... On my count, we're going to come out with guns and bombs blazing and take all these goons out."

"Joe, there are too many!" Jun protested.

"Jun, we have to. There's no other way." Joe paused for a moment, then continued, "I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to us, remember? Now's the time to make good on that promise."

Joe looked decisively into Jun's eyes and Jun knew that he meant every word of it.

"Ok." she finally said. "Let's do it."


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"Wait!" Jun cried, just as Joe was about to move. "Look at the helmets!"

"What?"

Joe looked in confusion. The Eagle that Jun had been holding had a large crack in the back of his helmet.

A crack that wasn't filled with transmutation gel.

"But what if Katse switched the helmets?" Joe pointed out. "I wouldn't put that past him."

"I think he would know that we'd suspect that." Jun pointed out. "So he _wouldn't_ switch the helmets."

"This is giving me a headache." Joe moaned. "We've just got to save them both."

"I guess you're right." Jun reluctantly agreed. "No matter how despicable that fake Eagle is, he's a human being."

"And these goons aren't?" Joe smirked, waving his hand at the soldiers surrounding them.

"You know what I mean." Jun lectured him, but there was a gleam of humor in her eyes.

"Okay, back to Plan A, then." Joe stated.

"Agreed."

"Well, Science Ninjas, what is your choice?" Katse's voice sneered, as the Galactor Leader walked back into the room.

Berg Katse's answer came in the form of a whizzing red and yellow yo-yo that was perfectly aimed at the center of the yellow star on his mask.

Yelping in alarm like a frightened toddler, Katse threw himself out of the way, causing the yo-yo to nick at the edge of his mask, leaving a long, bloody scratch in its wake, even as it wrapped itself around the railing in front of him.

A mere second later, the crescent-shaped blade of the Condor's cablegun followed, and Berg Katse began to run as he saw the two ninjas, each holding a prone Eagle, rising up from the ground below, towards him.

"You won't get away with this!" he screeched, slamming his hand against a control panel before running from the room.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"Jun..." Ken had whispered as he had tried to open his eyes to look at her.

But she hadn't heard him. He had been able to hear the sound of her voice as she debated with Joe about which one of the two Eagles was he. He had wanted to tell them about Kyle: that Kyle was in fact his long lost brother, and Ken had only just found out about his existence since he had been captured. Ken couldn't allow his own brother to die, even if he _was_ a part of Galactor. Surely Kyle would realize that being a member of Galactor was wrong!

Why had his father never told him about Kyle? Or Dr. Nambu?

The good Doctor had some explaining to do!

"Joe... Jun." Ken had tried again.

Ken had been hurting all over, and so was has heart, at the thought that Joe would steal _his_ girl, knowing how he felt about Jun.

Before he died Ken had to tell her; he needed to tell her how he felt about her.

He needed _her_.

But the world had begun to spin, and he had caught a glimpse of her looking into his eyes while Joe was standing behind her, before she had lifted him up…


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

As Jun rose up while holding onto her retracting yo-yo, so felt the Eagle in her other arm stir. This Eagle's helmet was intact, and in her mind she was certain that _this_ was Ken.

"Jun..." he mumbled, "I need you..." before lapsing back into unconsciousness. He was obviously hallucinating some strange dream.

A protective instinct rose up in Jun. Ken had always protected her on missions, and now it was her turn to fight for him.

"Don't worry, Ken." she whispered. "Joe and I will get you out of here."

She and Joe reached the railing where they had anchored their weapons, pushing against the catwalk with their feet and simultaneously back-flipping in a graceful arc to land where Katse had been only moments before.

"He went that way!" Joe indicated, moving to follow Katse.

"Joe, we have to let him go! Ken... and the other Eagle... need our help!"

"You're right." Joe sighed. "It sure is hard to let that bastard get away, though."

The pair ran for the exit, still holding the two unconscious Eagles.

_Clank! Clank!_

"What's that?" Jun asked nervously.

_Clank! Clank!_

"I think we're about to find out." Joe muttered grimly.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

_Clank-clank. Clank-clank._ The metallic noise of the gears almost sounded like a train traveling down a track.

"What the hell...?" Joe asked angrily, as the room started to slowly spin.

"Joe, look! The walls!" Jun pointed out as the walls started to converge. "We need to get out of here now, or we'll be crushed!"

"Ok, let's go. There's an escape hatch right..." Joe looked where the escape hatch was, but with the walls moving, so did the door.

"K'suo! I'm getting really tired of this mission." he remarked, shifting his burden. Then speaking to both the Eagles, "You're going to owe me big time if we get out of this, Washio! Whichever one you are!"

"Joe, I found it! A way out!" Jun broke in urgently, the walls coming ever closer.

Joe looked around vehemently, "Where?" he growled. Jun could tell his patience was running thin.

"Right there!" Jun pointed and looked up.

Of course! The ceiling where the removable plate was! Why hadn't he thought of that?

"Perfect! Blow that panel out, Jun!" Joe ordered as Jun threw her yo-yo. A second later, a small explosion brought the ceiling plate down in pieces.

Joe shot the cable from his air gun at the now-gaping hole in the ceiling, and all four ninjas started to ascend. When they reached the hole and situated themselves on the rafters, Jun threw her yo-yo at the control panel Katse had been standing at earlier.

"Just a little good-bye present..." she mused, as she triggered the electric current down the line.

Jun and Joe opened the roof hatch and carried the two Eagles out onto the rooftop.

"You ok there, Jun?" Joe asked concerned. "These Eagles are heavier than they look!"

"Yeah, I got it." Jun grunted in reply. There was no way she would admit to Joe that the dead weight she was carrying was almost too much for her to bear. Carefully, she laid her Eagle down on the roof, using the next problem of getting back to Crescent Coral Base as her excuse.

"So, how do we get back? You can't take both Eagles in the G2 and I can't take any on the G3."

"Easy enough." Joe said with a grin.

Then lifting his wrist to his chin, he said, "Hakase, this is G2. We need a transport."

Jun smiled. Now why hadn't she thought of that?

Knowing they couldn't wait on the rooftop, the Condor and Swan again hoisted the Eagles and descended via Joe's cable gun to the ground below. There they took cover in the nearby brush until the emergency transport team would arrive.

Ken could feel the cool earth at his back. His head was fuzzy as the neurons and electrons in his brain weren't making any connections. But somehow the thought of Jun came to him and he instinctively knew that he had to protect her.

"J-Jun..." he said weakly.

Jun, who had been standing a distance away with Joe, turned.

"Did you hear something, Joe?"

"No. Where is that transport team??"

"Juunnn..."

Jun turned and looked at the Eagles.

"Ken?" she asked as she ran to the first Eagle's side.

"Ken, is that you? Can you hear me?"

"I wish you'd stop doing that," Joe broke in, irritated. "We still don't know which is the real Ken."

"I told you that I thought _this one_ is the real Ken. This Eagle doesn't have a crack in his helmet." Jun responded, agitation in her voice.

"But we don't know if Katse switched the helmets or not. I say he did, thinking that we would believe he didn't. Katse and his stupid mind games..."

Jun stared at Joe incredulously. Why did he always have to be so stubborn?

"Jun... please..." the Eagle moaned.

Jun quickly turned her attention to the Eagle at her side.

"Ken, it _is_ you, isn't it?" Jun said more as a statement than a question.

Suddenly, Ken's world started to spin again. 'Hold on, just hold on a few more seconds…' he begged of himself.

Ken tried nodding his head, but he couldn't tell if he really did it or not.

"Jun...Me...Ken...Kyle...Destroy..." Ken was sure these words got out before his world went black again. But his last conscious thought was of how he felt something snap in the back of his mind.

"What'd he say?" Joe asked, his voice sounding more compassionate.

"I don't know. I couldn't understand him." Jun responded sadly. "I thought he said he was the Eagle. Oh, Joe, what if we never figure out which one is the real Ken?"

"Calm down, Jun. Hakase will figure it out."

"But how? All the tests that have already been done must have resulted in a perfect match to Ken. If they didn't, Hakase would know already."

At that moment, the other Eagle stirred.

"Jun..."

Jun and Joe turned to face him.

"Ken?" Jun asked more tentatively.

"Jun...Other...Eagle...Fake..." Kyle got out just as blackness also filled his world once again.

"This is ridiculous! We're not getting anywhere!" Joe yelled in complete frustration. "Where the hell is that transport team??"


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"I'm glad we finally managed to get out of there and get ahold of the God Phoenix!" Ryu said to Jinpei with a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, that was _so_ not cool being captured." The Swallow shook his head as he searched the control panels for something to do.

"I guess it's time to find the other three...They sure know how to get all the action...I'm still wondering who the murderer was at the party." Ryu sighed and shrugged his shoulders to demonstrate his disappointment.

"Well at least you didn't get stuck with playing a girl! Fishnet stockings are so uncomfortable...It was interesting though because I never would have guessed Jun owned stuff like that!" Jinpei smirked. "I'll have to have another look through her wardrobe when we get back... did you know that I put a picture of Ken in the shower in her room? It was a full on picture of him too...smoochy, smoochy...hey I wonder what Ken would think about that!" Jinpei chuckled at the bribe material he had collected while he was snooping through the base.

"Quiet Jinpei, look at the screen!" Ryu urgently called out to him as they both looked up.

"Ahhh… hi Doc..." Ryu hesitantly smiled up at the screen, and he hoped that the Doctor hadn't heard the last part of the conversation.

"Ryu, Jinpei, you are needed urgently to go and pick up Ken, Joe and Jun... but first there is something you must know..."

"What is it doc?" Ryu asked as he set the coordinates for the pick up.

"It is a long story, so I'll give you the short version. It seems that Ken might have an identical twin brother."

"WOW!" Jinpei was impressed. "Way to go big Bro! And he never told us about him..."

"Ken never knew about his brother. Galactor attacked the town his family was staying in when he and his 'brother' were just babies, and Mark went missing. Apparently Ken's parents believed baby Mark was killed in the explosion, but then Red Impulse found out that he could have been captured. That seems to be the main reason he decided to go in deep undercover...not only to help save the planet but to find his missing son." Dr Nambu frowned and his expression grew more serious.

"We believe the goon who saved the boy named him Kyle, raising him as his own and then making him an agent. If any of this is true, Kyle is dangerous and worse still it will be impossible to tell the difference... between him and Ken. But you must bring him in if you find him. I need to run tests on them _both_."

"Roger that Doc..." Ryu nodded and turned the ship around to go and pick up the others.

88888

Joe looked over at Jun who was hovering over the two Eagles like a mother hen.

"Do you have to baby him like that?" the Condor asked as he maintained his distance and kept watch for the transport.

"What do you mean, baby him?" Jun replied. She was getting angry with Joe for his snide comments about Ken.

"You heard! He's a man he can handle it. The transport is coming and we can sort this mess out at the base. You dote on him too much! It can be smothering sometimes Jun, even with Jinpei." Joe folded his arms and turned his back on her.

"Why, are you _jealous_ because I don't dote on _you_? Mr. Independent... You know when it comes to sharing _your_ feelings, you're worse then Ken sometimes!" Jun was hurt by Joe's comments, why was he being so mean all of a sudden?

"Forget it!" Joe told her, brushing Jun's hand from his shoulder. "It looks like the pick up is the God Phoenix."

They both watched the ship approaching them in the distance...


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

As the God Phoenix approached, Joe breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to Jun.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you, Jun." he apologized. "You're right. I was just stressed out with getting us out of here. I promised to make sure you'd be okay, and I was afraid that we wouldn't make it back to base."

"Oh, Joe..." Jun smiled. "I understand. And I know how difficult it is for you to apologize."

"I guess you're right... I _was_ a little jealous when I saw you with Ken." Joe admitted.

"You _were_?" Jun blushed, her cheeks matching the pink of her uniform.

"Jun, you've got to know how I feel about you... the last couple of days..."

"You _have_ been different, Joe." Jun smiled.

"I guess, when Ken asked me to switch places with him, I just got fed up. I'm always holding back, for him, and he didn't even have the decency to do what you asked. I..."

Whatever Joe had been about to say was cut off by the sound of something whizzing through the air. Joe's face blanched as he realized what it was.

"Fire in the hole!" he screamed, grabbing Jun and throwing her to the ground, his body covering her own as they both fell on top of the two Eagles.

The Bird Missile landed in the exact spot Joe had just vacated, a smoking crater the only evidence of the buses that had been there. A soot-blackened Condor looked up at the God Phoenix, raging.

"What the hell are you doing?" he screamed into his bracelet.

The sound of Jinpei's laughter came back to them.

"Thanks for telling us where you were, Joe." the Swallow smirked. "It makes you easier to target. Of course, I'm not as good at this as _you_ are, so I may have to take a few shots to get you _and_ Onechan..."

The chilling cackle that came from Joe's bracelet froze Jun's heart.

Jinpei was on the God Phoenix... and he was just as insane as he had been the previous night. And by the look of the expert maneuvering as the God Phoenix came around for another pass, Ryu was flying it.

"We have to get out of here!" Joe screamed, as the two of them picked up the Eagles and began to run.

"Where can we go?" Jun cried, trying to see through the smoke.

"There's only one place that will give us the kind of shelter we need." Joe scowled. "We have to go back into the Galactor Base."


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Ken was waking up now...

"Jun... I love you, Jun, I always have... it's really me, Ken..." He swallowed as he whispered in her ear as she held onto him to make the jump back into the base.

"Not now, Ken... you're not yourself… how can I trust your words at the moment? You could be hallucinating..." She looked back at Joe for a second.

"Jun... you know it's true! I know you feel the same way... you're beautiful and strong... I tried to tell you last week…" Then Ken blacked out again.

Joe shook his head as the made the leap back into the base.

"With Jinpei gone insane and Ryu too, now it looks like Ken is out of it... if he is the _real_ Ken."

Joe quickly put down the Eagle he was carrying and looked around him, he quickly caught the blush and guilty look on Jun's face as she looked back at the Eagle she was still holding.

"Not now, Jun! We have goons coming at us and nowhere to go! We have to stand and fight!" Joe yelled as he pulled out a feather shuriken and his cable gun...


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Another return trip to the Galactor base, another round of Galactor attacks, another near miss for the Kagaku Ninjatai. Or in this case, another near miss for two of the Kagaku Ninjatai.

"I'm starting to feel like we're going in circles," Joe commented wryly. "How many times are we going to come back to this base and crush Galactor goons today?" he asked, annoyance tinged with sarcasm in his voice.

"I don't know, but I think we're really stuck now. We destroyed the room the main control panel was in earlier, and now we blew up the other half of the base. About the only thing left standing is the room we're in. On the plus side, I think we've taken out all the goons that were stationed here, and there's been no sign of Katse. Of course Ryu and Jinpei are now on our trail..." Jun paused for a minute, then practically wailed, "Oh, why did I have to have that dumb murder mystery party? This is all my fault!"

Joe's heart sank. He hated to see Jun in such despair.

"It's ok, Jun." Joe tried to console her, enveloping her in his wings. "This is _not_ your fault." Then pushing Jun back slightly, Joe took her chin in his hands and forced her to look him in his eyes. Intently he added, "Do you hear me?"

Jun nodded, her eyes glistening, but not shedding a single tear.

"If Galactor didn't get us this way, they would have gotten us another way. So don't ever blame yourself for what they do. Ok?"

Jun took a step back from the Condor and quickly got ahold of herself.

"Understood. Now, what are we going to do with Ryu, Jinpei and the two Eagles?"

"Plan # 24 for today..." Joe replied with a smirk.

88888

"I wanna be a Ninja fighter, I wanna kick some birdie butt!" Jinpei sang as he ran through the ruins of the base.

"Jinpei, what are you doing?" Ryu asked, trying to keep up.

"Just having some fun while trying to find the enemy." Jinpei replied.

"Well, aren't we ninja birds too?"

"Yeah... And?"

"Shh! What's that?" Ryu quickly cut Jinpei off as the two entered one of the few rooms in the base that hadn't been destroyed.

"What's what?"

"I thought I saw a shadow on that wall." Ryu whispered. He and Jinpei turned to each other with evil grins on their faces.

88888

"Do you think they saw you?" Jun whispered, her back as flat to the wall as she could get it. She and Joe were hiding in an alcove on the catwalk above Ryu and Jinpei's heads.

"I think so." Joe whispered back.

"I'm not so sure about this. I mean, this is Ryu and Jinpei we're talking about. I couldn't take it if they got hurt."

"They're not going to get hurt." Joe retorted. "And it won't be _our_ fault if they get caught in their own trap!"

A mischievous smirk crawled across Joe's face. Somehow Jun thought there was more to Joe's little plan than just an escape for them and the Eagles.

"On my count..." Joe ordered. Jun sighed and looked up at what she could only describe as a wagon-wheel light fixture hanging from the ceiling. She really wasn't sure about this.

"Three...two... one!"

Jun threw her yo-yo and cut the cord to the fixture, which came crashing down to the floor, entrapping Ryu and Jinpei in its interior circle. Simultaneously, Joe shot off his cable gun, wrapping it around the Owl's and Swallow's feet, binding them together.

"HEY!" the Owl and Swallow yelled out at the same time.

Joe jumped down from the catwalk with an Eagle on his back. Laying the Eagle down, he addressed the captives.

"Hi, guys. Pleasure to see you here. Too bad you're all tied up right now." he said dryly.

"DIE, CONDOR!" Jinpei yelled.

"Hmmm, nope. Not today." Joe said with mock thoughtfulness as he collected Jinpei's bolos from him.

"Give those back! Katsesama won't let you get away with this!"

Joe shook his head and replied, "I never thought I'd hear you say those words! Stop being such a baby." Joe couldn't help himself as he smirked.

Jun came down from the catwalk, carrying the other Eagle.

"I can't believe this worked..." Jun commented in disbelief.

"Of course it worked!" Joe fired back. "Now let's get us and the others out of here. And this time, for good!"


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

But as they turned to go, Joe thought he heard something.

"What is _that_?" he asked.

"What's what?" Jun replied, struggling to lift one of the Eagles.

"That groaning sound." Joe said.

"I hear it too." Jun said, stopping for a moment.

At the same moment, Joe and Jun both looked up, seeing the gaping hole in the ceiling that had been created when the wagon wheel fixture had been torn down.

There was something hanging out of the hole.

It was an arm encased in a red glove.

"Katse!" hissed Joe, under his breath. "We got him!"

Before Jun could react, Joe leapt into the air, jumping up to the high ceiling in a zig zag pattern, until he was just underneath the part of the ceiling where the red glove hung down.

"Gotcha!" the Condor shouted, yanking hard on the glove and sending the body it was attached to plummeting to the floor below.

When Jun saw what Joe had done, she screamed. For the red glove _didn't_ belong to Berg Katse.

"Jinpei!" the Swan rushed across the room, catching an unconscious Swallow in her arms.

"What the hell?" Joe vaulted up to the next floor through the ceiling hole.

"Ryu's up here." he called down a moment later. "And this looks like some kind of laboratory to me."

"Can you bring Ryu down?" Jun asked.

"Roger."

A few moments later, an unconscious Owl and Swallow lay on the floor next to two unconscious Eagles. Another Swallow/Owl pair spat and swore at the Condor and the Swan.

"Don't tell me that Jinpei and Ryu have evil twins as well." Joe groaned.

"That's a little much to believe." Jun agreed. "Let me go take a look at this laboratory."

"If anyone can find any useful information in that mess, you can." Joe agreed, waving her on. Jun flew up to the ceiling, disappearing through the hole. She turned her bracelet on so that Joe could monitor what she was doing.

"The computer systems seem reasonably intact up here." Jun reported. "I guess not blowing up the _entire_ base had its advantages."

"Can you access them?" Joe asked.

"Working on it." Jun replied, and she began humming in a low tone that Joe recognized as something the Swan did when she was concentrating. After a few moments, she spoke again.

"There's something missing from the system." she said. "It's like there's a missing link, and it's impossible to access the data without it. But I'm not sure what it could..."

Jun's report broke off with a squeal.

"What's wrong, Jun?" Joe asked frantically, standing up and preparing to leap up to help her.

"I got it!" the Swan's voice crowed over the bracelet. "The microchip!"

A few clicks and hums were heard from the communication link, and then Jun spoke quickly. It was clear that she was excited by her find.

"Joe, this is incredible! It seems that Galactor has developed some fantastic cloning technology! From what I can tell, all they need is a blood sample and they can take any organic body and re-form it as another one! This is the prototype laboratory..."

"Clones?" Joe asked, thinking fast.

"Yes. But there's one problem: it is only the physical form that is cloned. The mind of the original person still remains. It looks to me like they cloned Ken's, Jinpei's and Ryu's bodies onto three Galactor soldiers."

"Three Galactor soldiers..." Joe muttered. "A fake Eagle, a fake Swallow, a fake Owl. No wonder Hakase couldn't find anything wrong with them! They were perfectly fine... they were just Galactor spies, that's all!" The last was said with a disgusted snort.

"That whole story about Ken's 'brother' must have been a ploy by Katse to get Ken to protect his clone. In fact, he's a Galactor goon named..."

There was silence for a moment, as Jun looked up the records.

"What is it, Jun?" Joe asked, concerned when she took more than a few seconds to continue.

"His name..." Jun gasped. "The Ken clone's real name is..."

"Hy Ssop..."

"What? Wasn't that the name of the guy he was supposed to play in your Murder Mystery?"

"Yes." Jun confirmed. "And the real name of the person who now looks like Jinpei is Dee Jonnaise. She's a Devilstar trainee. The one who looks like Ryu is Cal Zone. And Joe..."

The Swan gulped before continuing.

"There really is a Juli Enne... and a Vin Aigrette, too. They are apparently in another base, waiting to be called up to be cloned as the two of us."

"Damn, Galactor!" Joe swore. "Katse had all of this planned! He wanted to replace the Science Ninja Team with his own goons!"

"I resent that!" the tied up Ryu shouted. "Not all of us are dumb, you know! 'Goon' is a pretty offensive term to apply to all of us, as a group."

"You just blew our cover, idiot!" the tied-up Jinpei screamed at him. "Talk about being a goon!"

"It's not like they hadn't already figured it out!" the false Owl shot back.

"They still might have been wondering if you'd kept your fat mouth shut!" yelled the false Swallow. "To think, I let myself be changed into a boy, of all things. And for what? Nothing! Thanks to you and your incompetence!"

"_My_ incompetence?" screeched the false Owl. "Why, if I weren't tied up..."

"Cut it out, you two." Joe smacked them both. "No one wants to listen to you bicker."

"I'm copying all of this information for Dr. Nambu, then I'm going to destroy these records." Jun reported on the bracelet. "We can take everyone back to the ISO headquarters and have Hakase sort it out from there."

"I won't be held as an ISO prisoner!" cried the false Swallow. "And you won't get any information from the others, either!"

"What are you talking about, Dee?" the false Owl asked, a nervous look on his face.

"Katse-sama gave me orders, and I intend to see them through." Dee grinned viciously. "And I might even take down the Science Ninja Team with me."

"Dee, no!" screamed the false Owl, even as Joe launched himself into the air and away from the pair, throwing himself over the unconscious Swallow and Owl, and covering them with his wings.

A huge explosion shook the room, sending flames and smoke almost to the ceiling.

88888

Jun nearly dropped the microchip and data disk she was holding when the explosion below shook the laboratory. Frantically she peered out of the hole, but all she could see was a haze of smoke.

Everyone else was down there. She had to save them.

Taking a deep breath, she attached her yo-yo to some of the laboratory equipment, then carefully lowered herself down to the floor below.

As she reached the bottom, the smoke began to clear. A grisly sight met her eyes. Two bodies... if you could call them that, since they didn't have torsos or heads, lay on the floor, their feet still wrapped in the mangled remains of Joe's cablegun. A sob flew out of Jun's mouth when she saw half of a body dressed in white lying on the floor, badly burned, while the other half lay across the room.

"Joe!" she sobbed, not wanting to believe that everyone who had been in the room was dead. "Where are you?"

A choking voice came out of the remaining haze.

"Here..."

Jun ran toward the sound of the voice, relieved to see that the Condor was intact, holding an equally intact Jinpei and Ryu.

"Where's Ken?" she asked, her lower lip trembling.

"There." Joe groaned, pointing a few feet away. On the floor was a bloody and charred, but apparently whole, Eagle.

"Thank God Hakase knew what he was doing when he designed our Birdstyles." the Condor moaned. "That hurt like hell, but I think we're all okay."

"The Birdstyles Katse had on his people didn't fare so well." Jun gulped, remembering the gory remains she had just seen.

"This _has_ to be the real Ken, if his Birdstyle protected him." Joe said, crawling over to the body of the Eagle. He lifted his head, feeling for a pulse.

"Well, Jun," he said, smiling, "it looks like you were right."

"About what?" Jun asked, as she cradled the Swallow's head in her lap.

"The helmet." Joe answered. "Ken's helmet doesn't have a crack in it."

Jun looked up at Joe, smiling in relief that at last, it was all over.

88888

Somehow the Condor and the Swan managed to get everyone back onboard the God Phoenix, and back to the Crescent Coral Base. Dr. Nambu examined the three injured ninjas, as well as the data Jun had recovered, declaring that they were, indeed, the true Eagle, Swallow and Owl. With hindsight, he now confirmed that the brainwave scans that had been done before were from different people, although ones with similar overall patterns. The minor discrepancies would not have been noticed if he hadn't been looking for them.

Jun sat in the hospital room at Ken's side, holding his hand. There was so much she wanted to say to him, and she hoped that he would wake up.

"Please wake up, Ken..." she begged, brushing her lips across his cheek. "I need you..."

Even as she did so, the Eagle's eyes fluttered open.

"Jun!" he said, his eyes widening. "The other Eagle, he's my brother... his name is Kyle..."

"No, Ken." Jun sighed, squeezing his hand. "He's not. It turns out that was a trick of Katse's, just like when he tried to impersonate your father. He was actually just a Galactor goon, whose body was altered to look like yours."

"Not… my brother..." Ken sighed, an involuntary tear slipping down his face. "I..." It was clear that the Eagle was upset.

"Oh, Ken..." Jun said comfortingly, laying her head on his chest and embracing him. "I know how hard this must be for you... how long you've wanted a family..."

"I already have a family." Ken said quietly. "All of you."

Jun lifted her head to look Ken in the eye, their faces only inches apart.

"I feel that way too, Ken."

"There's something else I want you to know, Jun." Ken said. "When I was held captive by Katse, and being tortured, I wasn't certain I'd ever see you again. And I swore to myself that if I did, I would tell you this."

"What is it, Ken?" Jun asked, her eyes shining.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

"Jun, I..." Ken started but was cut off by his hospital room door opening.

"Aniki! You're awake!" Jinpei bounded in, followed by Ryu and Joe.

"Jinpei! What are you doing here?" Jun asked surprised. "You and Ryu should be in your room resting!"

"Aw, Onechan, we're fine. Besides Hakase said it was ok for us to come see Ken."

Jun glanced back at Ken, disappointed. 'So close!' she thought to herself.

"Next time you want to follow Jun and me on a mission, why don't you call us first?" Joe chided.

Ken looked at his Second. "Nice to see you, too." he remarked, then shot back, "Next time you two decide to take a mission on yourselves, report to me first!"

Jun smiled and rolled her eyes. After all they'd been through, she was so happy to hear Joe and Ken goad each other on.

"Ah, let it go, Ken. We're all back here safe." Ryu broke in, trying to deflect what he was sure would become an ensuing fight before it began.

"Yeah, Aniki! I wanna hear about what happened. I don't remember anything after Galactor caught us in that gas chamber!"

"Maybe later." Joe cut in. "I'm not sure I want to re-hash everything again. Our marathon debriefing session with Hakase was enough for me for a while!"

Jun nodded in agreement as Jinpei pleaded, "C'mon Joe! I heard there were clones of Ryu, Aniki, and me. What was up with that?"

"If you can't wait for us, then I suggest asking Hakase for a copy of the mission report. All the details will be in there." Jun suggested.

"No, that's ok." Jinpei quickly answered. "I've seen those reports and I think I'll leave them for Aniki to deal with."

"Thanks..." Ken grumbled, realizing that this report was probably going to read like War and Peace. Not to mention the reprimand he was sure to get from Hakase for not only for letting G2 and G3 act on their own, but also for allowing himself to be deceived by Galactor.

Hakase then opened the door and came into the room. "I thought I told you only two at a time?" he reminded Joe, Jinpei and Ryu.

"Sorry, Hakase, but Ken was awake and we wanted to see him." Ryu explained.

"Well, everyone can go now. Now that Ken's conscious, I want to ask him a few questions and run a few more tests to make sure he has no after-effects."

The Condor, Swallow, and Owl all left, leaving Ken with well wishes and the promise that they would be back soon.

Jun lagged behind for a moment.

"You too, Jun." Hakase pressed.

"Ok, Hakase, "Jun said sadly as she gave a longing look back to Ken.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The team retreated to the lounge that had been set aside for their use while at Crescent Coral Base. When they got there, Jinpei and Ryu ran off to check out the video games they had neglected for the past couple of days, and Joe pulled Jun aside.

"It's too bad that you weren't able to stay with Ken." Joe said in an overly casual manner. "It seemed like there was something he really wanted to say to you."

"I thought so too." Jun nodded, her mind only half on the conversation with Joe. "I just wish..."

"That's what you _really_ want, isn't it, Jun?" Joe asked, his eyes searching hers.

Jun looked up at Joe, surprised at the vulnerability she saw there. It wasn't a word she would normally have associated with the Condor.

"I do." she admitted softly, after a moment of quiet contemplation. "Sometimes, I'm ready to tear my hair out because of his behavior, but I keep hoping..."

"Don't tear your hair out." Joe chuckled. "I don't think Ken would find you very attractive if you were bald."

"He... he finds me attractive?" Jun's blush revealed much more than her words.

"I _know_ he does." Joe said quietly. "And if he doesn't tell you about it soon, I'll..."

"I can _always_ count on you, Joe." Jun smiled, throwing herself into a surprised Condor's arms. Joe held Jun for a moment, as if she were the most precious thing in the world, then pulled away.

"Say, Junie," he drawled, a mischievous glint in his eye, "I don't suppose we could get ahold of the real Juli Enne?"

"What? Why?" Jun asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow at the Condor.

"Well, if we could send her through that cloning process with you, then we'd have a girl who looks like the Swan but works for Galactor." Joe grinned. "Sounds like exactly my type of woman."

Jun's punch only missed Joe's jaw by a hair's breadth. Within moments, the two had begun a vicious pillow fight, with Jinpei and Ryu quickly joining in the fray.

88888

Approximately an hour later, Jun returned to Ken's hospital room and peeked in the door. The Eagle was lying on his bed, his eyes closed, and there was no sign of anyone else.

Jun moved to quietly close the door and leave, but she stopped when Ken spoke.

"Come on in, Jun." he murmured.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked. Ken's eyes were still shut.

"Your perfume." Ken grinned. "I always remember that jasmine scent you wear."

"Oh..." Jun found herself blushing to the roots of her hair.

At last Ken opened his eyes, their startling blue color seeming to look right through Jun as he regarded her.

"I'm glad you came back." he said. "I was hoping that you would."

"I was hoping that Hakase was gone." Jun smiled. "So I guess we both got our wish."

"I think he's going to release me soon." Ken revealed as he sat up in the bed. "I should be back with the rest of the team tonight."

"That's where you belong." Jun said softly.

"There's an even more important place I belong." Ken said slowly, his eyes captivating hers as she saw that his usual unemotional exterior had been stripped away.

"I belong with you Jun." Ken said solemnly.

"I've always felt that we work well together." Jun agreed.

"But it's _more_ than working, isn't it, Jun?" Ken said, his voice deadly serious. "There's always been _something else_ there, between us. God knows, I've done my best to ignore it, but it has remained."

"I feel that too, Ken." Jun admitted shyly. "I've always wanted to talk to you about it, but when I've tried before..."

"I've brushed you off." Ken finished the sentence for her. "I'm sorry, Jun."

His simple, yet heartfelt, apology touched Jun, and a tear began to slide down her cheek.

"Thank you, Ken." Jun brushed the back of her hand at her eye. "I appreciate that."

"Let me..." Ken said, gently removing Jun's hand from her face. Tenderly, he reached out, lightly caressing her cheek with his fingertips, wiping the solitary tear away.

"It kills me inside, when I see you cry." he whispered.

"It kills me inside, when I see you hurting, with no one to help you through it." Jun admitted.

"You help me through it." Ken told her. "Even when I push you away, your presence helps. I always feel better, knowing that you're there for me. And it's _finally_ time for me to admit what I've never been able to before."

Jun held her breath, waiting for Ken's next words.

"I need you, Jun." Ken's face was barely an inch away from Jun's, and she could see a slight crinkling around his eyes as he smiled at her. "I think about you, all the time. I go to sleep, dreaming of you. In the morning, I wake up, and I can't wait to see you. When we're together, I'm always watching you, even when it doesn't seem like it. When we're on a mission, I'm always worried for your safety. Today, when I was being tortured by Katse, I knew that I would regret it through Eternity if I died never telling you..." his voice trailed off.

"Never telling me, what, Ken?" Jun asked nervously.

"Never telling you that I love you." Ken said, his eyes growing wider than the grin that was spreading across his face.

"I love you too, Ken." Jun revealed. "I can barely remember a time when I didn't have special feelings for you."

"Then, you wouldn't mind, if I did this..."

A wicked gleam came into the Eagle's eyes, as he threaded his fingers through Jun's hair, placing his hand on the back of her head and pulling her forward across the small space between them, until their lips met.


	47. Epilogue

Epilogue

Joe leaned against the back wall of the lounge, barely registering Jinpei and Ryu carrying on over their video game. It had been quite a while since Jun had slipped out of the room after the pillow fight. Jinpei and Ryu had started Round Two of their video game session and Joe had grabbed a racing magazine and flopped down on the couch to read it when Jun had left unnoticed. Or at least, she thought that she had left unnoticed. Little did the Swan realize that the Condor had caught her leaving out of the corner of his eye.

Joe thought back to their conversation and how he had told Jun about Ken finding her attractive. Jun, being the intelligent girl that she was, had quickly realized what Joe was saying and had innocently thrown herself in his arms in delight, thanking him. Only she hadn't realized when Joe hugged her back that he was coming to terms with _his own_ feelings for her.

Joe walked out of the lounge and down the hall. Deep in thought, he wasn't concentrating on where he was going; as if on auto-pilot, Joe just walked. Before he knew it, he was standing outside the door of Ken's hospital room.

Joe blinked when he realized where he was. What was he doing here? He didn't _want_ to be here. But he knew Jun was in that room.

"Just walk away," Joe berated himself, but as if some unknown force took over, his hand disobeyed his brain and reached for the door handle. Silently, he turned it.

Joe peered into the room and saw Jun lying next to Ken; her head on his shoulder, her face against his neck, breathing deeply and peacefully. Ken also slept contentedly, with his arm wrapped around Jun's side, as if he were holding her in a protective embrace. Joe thought he saw a small smile on both of their faces.

Joe pulled his head back from the open door.

"You did the right thing, Asakura." he reassured himself, "Ken and Jun belong together - you know that."

Joe peeked in the room again, as if getting final confirmation. Taking one last longing look at Jun, Joe whispered, "Goodbye, my Swan." then quietly closed the door and walked back down the hall.


End file.
